Steve grew up on the Rocky Mountain Front in the small town of Choteau, Montana. Those rural beginnings and later years including rock bands, hot rods, drag racing, and a career in graphic design all inform his art. He is an enrolled member of the Little Shell Chippewa tribe.

LaRance’s paintings have been aptly called “Post-Westerns”, combining realism and social commentary, often evoking the West of nostalgia in collision with the mundane realities he sees around him. Familiar objects and contemporary scenes are re-presented in a way that invites the viewer into his wry perspective.

LaRance says, “My images mostly derive from my experience of the American West from the mid-20^th century forward to today. I try to distill and convey moments in a way that create a shared connection.”

“The artist is not as technique oriented as he is looking for narrative quality. This results in an underlying solitariness and sentimentality to these unfinished stories. LaRance’s loose interpretations of his observations deliver a value beyond what’s obvious.” – Western Art Collector magazine